Microsoft to support Nigeria’s economic plan – Osinbajo

Microsoft Corporation says it wants to offer Nigeria digital transformation support to actualise its Economic Sustainability Plan.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo gave the hint in a virtual meeting with Microsoft Corporation team led by its President, Mr Brad Smith, saying the company’s interest in supporting the efforts of the Federal Government was a welcome development.

He said this could be leveraged to address issues affecting the youths, especially in engaging them productively.

The VP said this would be a continuation of the technology company’s investment in Nigeria after the establishment of an African Technology Development Centre in 2020, all in affirmation of the efforts of the Buhari administration in the creation of a viable technology ecosystem in Nigeria.

Google Inc in July 2020 announced plans to establish its first Google Launchpad Space outside the United States in Lagos. Also, Facebook, in September of same year, made public its decision to open an office in Lagos as part of its planned expansion in sub-Saharan Africa. HUAWEI on the other hand last November promised the Vice President that the company would position Nigeria as a technology center for the African continent.

Osinbajo, who spoke on the need to constantly engage with the youths, noted that Nigeria’s case was peculiar given that the youths constituted a larger percentage of the country’s population, hence the need for all stakeholders to pay more attention to that demography.

He said, “It seems to me that there is just a wave of general anger around the world and people are generally impatient. Impatient with government, impatient with practically all of the formal structures there are.

“But I am open and happy to hear what views there might be on trying to engage and engage even more with young people (and in our case, that is 70 per cent of our population, if not more). So, we are really talking not just about the youth population but the Nigerian populace because that is the majority. So, whatever it is that we are able to deploy to be more inclusive, to engage even more, is really a solution for the entire populace as opposed to a solution for just a segment of our population especially given the fact that young people constitute 70 per cent or even more.”

He also said, “We have a digital innovation initiative which we hope will be the foundation for doing far more in the digital space than we are doing at the moment.”

Osinbajo added, “I have always wondered how Microsoft can just be a much more effective partner with us as a country.

“Beginning with the African Development Centre, which I think is excellent, I think it shows the commitment of Microsoft in developing the digital centre here in Nigeria. And it also shows the company’s confidence in the sort of talents that we have and the commitment of government to ensuring that we develop that talent in the best possible ways that we can.”

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said the Federal Government had already put in place the necessary structures to partner with Microsoft and other tech companies in developing Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.

He said the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy, the National Policy on E-governance, among others, had been adopted by the Buhari administration to support the growth of technology and innovation in the country.

In his remarks, Smith said his company’s vision for investment in Nigeria was to create Africa’s most viable technology ecosystem.

He said the company’s investment in Nigeria was a demonstration of its enthusiasm about the digital transformation ongoing in Nigeria under the Buhari administration.

He proposed a 90-day timeline for stakeholders on the government side and from Microsoft, to iron out details of the various areas of collaboration.